Geologic exposures in the Salt Lake City region record a long history of sedimentation and tectonic activity extending back to the Precambrian Era. Today, the city lies above a deep, sediment-filled basin flanked by two uplifted range blocks, the Wasatch Range and the Oquirrh Mountains. The Wasatch Range is the easternmost expression of major Basin and Range extension in north-central Utah and is bounded on the west by the Wasatch fault zone (WFZ), a major zone of active normal faulting. During the late Pleistocene Epoch, the Salt Lake City region was dominated by a succession of inter-basin lakes. Lake Bonneville was the last and probably the largest of these lakes. By 11,000 yr BP, Lake Bonneville had receded to approximately the size of the present Great Salt Lake.

The Farmington Siding landslide complex is in Davis County, Utah, about 25 kilometers north of Salt Lake City. The landslide complex covers approximately 19.5 square kilometers and is one of 13 late Pleistocene/Holocene features along the Wasatch Front mapped by previous investigators as possible liquefaction-induced lateral spreads. The Farmington Siding landslide complex is in a largely rural area, but state and interstate highways, railroads, petroleum and natural-gas pipelines, and other lifelines cross the complex. Continued population growth along the Wasatch Front increases the likelihood of urban development within and adjacent to the landslide complex. Development along the Wasatch Front has proceeded with little consideration of hazards associated with liquefaction-induced landslides. Slope-failure mechanisms, extent of internal deformation, and timing of landslide events are poorly understood, and these factors must be evaluated to enable local governments to effectively plan for development and implement hazard-reduction strategies as needed. The purpose of this study is to assess the hazard associated with future liquefaction-induced landsliding within and adjacent to the Farmington Siding landslide complex by evaluating slope-failure modes and extent of internal deformation within the complex, inferring the geologic and hydrologic conditions under which landsliding occurred, determining the timing of landsliding, and evaluating the relative likelihood of various earthquake source zones to trigger liquefaction-induced landsliding. We chose the Farmington Siding landslide complex for this study because of the distinctiveness of geomorphic features on the northern part of the complex and the presence of landslide deposits that are clearly of different ages. Furthermore, because much of the area is rural, appropriate land-use planning measures can still be implemented to protect future development.

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